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Petrik’s Top 19 Books of the Year! (2023)

Petrik’s Top 19 Books of the Year! (2023)

Click here if you want to see the list of all the books I’ve read so far this year: Petrik’s Year in Books (2023)

Between 1st January 2023 and 31st December 2023, I read 80 books + 177 manga/manhwa volumes (76.8k pages).

Please read this first. There will be three rules I set in this list for me to give appreciation to more authors rather than having only a few authors hoarding this list. These rules allow me to highlight more authors, and at the same time, I’ll also be able to include both new and older books (many of them still need attention) that I read this year.

  • Rereads aren’t included.
  • One book per series.
  • The books listed here are not all exclusively published this year; the list consists of the top books I read for the first time this year. Non-2023 published books on this list will have their first date of publication included.

Do note that although there’s a rank to this list, I HIGHLY recommend every book/series listed below because I loved all of them immensely, and they received a rating of 4.5 or 5 out of 5 stars from me. Honorable mentions are for two best novellas and two short stories I read this year. Without further ado, here are the top 15 (or 19) books I’ve read this year! (All full reviews of the books listed can be found on Novel Notions and my Goodreads page.)

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Celeste’s Top Reads of 2023

Celeste’s Top Reads of 2023

My 2023 reading year was a bit of a mixed bag.  While I read some truly phenomenal books, I also got bogged down in some that didn’t work for me.  This was also the year when I began to take a step back from reviewing quite as much, as have felt myself beginning to burn out for quite a while now.  This led me to rereading much more this year, as I didn’t owe those books anything else.  I read a solid mix of new releases and backlist books, and I believe this is the year where I saw the most new releases added to my list of favorites.  Eight of the twelve books below were published in 2023, with two more having hit shelves the year before.  The other two are modern classics that couldn’t be more deserving of the title.  

The rules for this list are as follows:

  • All books must be new to me.
  • One book per author.
  • All books must have been 5 star reads.  While I read some fantastic books that I gave 4.5 stars, none of those made this list.  

I couldn’t narrow it down to ten. Without further ado, here are my twelve favorite books read in 2023. 

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Book Review: Disquiet Gods (The Sun Eater, #6) by Christopher Ruocchio

Book Review: Disquiet Gods (The Sun Eater, #6) by Christopher Ruocchio

This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on Disquiet Gods

ARC provided by the publisher—Baen Books—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by Kieran Yanner

Disquiet Gods by Christopher Ruocchio

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Sun Eater (Book #6 of 7)

Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy

Word Count: 290,000 words

Pages: 704 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 2nd April 2024 by DAW Books (US) & Head of Zeus (UK)


This book… What a penultimate installment. Disquiet Gods is a festival of epic science fantasy masterwork cranked to maximum level.

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Book Review: The Witchwood Crown (The Last King of Osten Ard, #1) by Tad Williams

Book Review: The Witchwood Crown (The Last King of Osten Ard, #1) by Tad Williams

Cover art illustrated by Michael Whelan

The Witchwood Crown by Tad Williams

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Last King of Osten Ard (Book #1 of 4), The Osten Ard Saga (Book #4 of 7)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 736 pages (Hardcover edition)

Word Count: 350,000 words

Published: 27th June  2017 by DAW Books (US) & Hodder (UK)


It is with a heart of joy I proclaim The Witchwood Crown as an exquisite return to the world of Osten Ard.

“You have a fine voice. Remember that music is a noble charge, even a dangerous charge, because it can pierce a man’s heart when a spear or arrow cannot.”

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Cover Reveal: The Gods Below (The Hollow Covenant, #1) by Andrea Stewart

Cover Reveal: The Gods Below (The Hollow Covenant, #1) by Andrea Stewart

Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here.

We have an incredibly exciting post today. Orbit has asked me and Novel Notions to host the cover reveal for The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart! I have read everything by Andrea Stewart before, and The Bone Shard Daughter remains one of the most entertaining debuts I’ve read. This will be the start of a new series from Stewart, and suffice it to say… I’m excited to get around to it. One of the things that led me to check out The Bone Shard Daughter was the stunning cover art by Sasha Vinogradova. Once again, Vinogradova is back as the cover artist, and the result is amazing. Without further ado, here’s the cover reveal to The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart!

Cover art illustrated by Sasha Vinogradova

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Book Review: Stones of Light (Threadlight, #2) by Zack Argyle

Book Review: Stones of Light (Threadlight, #2) by Zack Argyle

Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art by Omer Burak Onal

Stones of Light by Zack Argyle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Threadlight (Book #2 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 362 pages (Hardcover edition)

Publish date: 4th of April 2021 by Zack Argyle (Self-Published)


This was a great sequel. In Stones of Light, Argyle maintained the consistency of quality in his storytelling.

“It’s like comparing granite to clay. The clay may take shape more easily, but the granite, once you’ve chiseled it into place, is so much stronger. For some people, motherhood comes more easily. For others, it takes a hammer and chisel. No one is made for motherhood. Motherhood is made for you. Some of us aren’t so lucky.”

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Cover Reveal: A Tide of Black Steel (Age of Wrath, #1) by Anthony Ryan

Cover Reveal: A Tide of Black Steel (Age of Wrath, #1) by Anthony Ryan

Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here.

We have an incredibly exciting post today. Orbit has asked me and Novel Notions to host the cover reveal for A Tide of Black Steel by Anthony Ryan!

I have read almost all of Anthony Ryan’s books, and I enjoyed many of them. A Tide of Black Steel is the first book in a new series titled Age of Wrath, and it is a sequel series to the Covenant of Steel series. Without further ado, here’s the cover reveal of A Tide of Black Steel. The first book in Age of Wrath!

Cover art illustrated by Ben Prior

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Book Review: The Dregs of Empire (The Sun Eater, #5.6) by Christopher Ruocchio

Book Review: The Dregs of Empire (The Sun Eater, #5.6) by Christopher Ruocchio

Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by John Barry Ballaran

The Dregs of Empire: A Tale of the Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Sun Eater (Book #5.6 of 7)

Genre: Science Fantasy, Sci-fi, Space Opera

Pages: 332 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 14th November 2023 by Christopher Ruocchio (Self-published)


The Dregs of Empire is the finest companion novel in The Sun Eater series so far.

“I am not afraid to die… because I know this is not the end for us. We are all of us trapped in an endless cycle of life and death and rebirth. What matters is what we do within that cycle. Right understanding. Right thought . . . Right speech.”

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Book Review: The Failures (The Wanderlands, #1) by Benjamin Liar

Book Review: The Failures (The Wanderlands, #1) by Benjamin Liar

This review is a copy of the transcript of my video review on The Failures

ARC provided by the publisher—DAW Books—in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art by theBookDesigners

The Failures by Benjamin Liar

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Wanderlands (Book #1 of 3)

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Sci-fi, Post-apocalypse

Pages: 544 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 2nd July 2024 by DAW Books


The Failures is an extremely ambitious, mind-bending, and meticulously constructed debut novel.

“If we are truly just cogs, and part of some great machine, then it must run poorly indeed.”

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Cover Reveal: The Fury of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga, #3) by John Gwynne

Cover Reveal: The Fury of the Gods (The Bloodsworn Saga, #3) by John Gwynne

Hi everyone! Petrik from Novel Notions here.

We have an incredibly exciting post today. Maybe too exciting; for me and I know many fantasy readers as well. Orbit has asked me and Novel Notions to host the cover reveal for one of my most anticipated releases of all time. The Fury of the Gods by John Gwynne!

You don’t need to hear any more words from me. I have been praising John Gwynne’s books for years. It has been two years since the release of The Hunger of the Gods, and now, not only we are blessed with the epic cover art of The Fury of the Gods, but also the release date! Without further ado, here’s the EPIC cover reveal of The Fury of the Gods, the third and last book in The Bloodsworn Saga!

Cover art illustrated by Marcus Whinney

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Book Review: The Fangs of War (The Blood and Steel Saga, #1) by E.J. Doble

Book Review: The Fangs of War (The Blood and Steel Saga, #1) by E.J. Doble

Cover art illustrated by Diego Spezzoni

The Fangs of War by E.J. Doble

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Sun Eater (Book #1 of 5)

Genre: Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Epic Fantasy

Pages: 575 pages (Hardcover edition)

Published: 11th January 2022 (Self-Published)


It is an impressive feat that a young 21-year-old writer wrote and published a grimdark fantasy debut the like of The Fangs of War.

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Book Review: Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 3 (The Sun Eater, #5.5) by Christopher Ruocchio

Book Review: Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 3 (The Sun Eater, #5.5) by Christopher Ruocchio

Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by James L. Cook

Tales of the Sun Eater, Volume 3 by Christopher Ruocchio

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Sun Eater (Book #5.5 of 7)

Genre: Sci-fi, Space Opera, Science Fantasy

Pages: 216 pages (Kindle edition)

Published: 15th September 2023 (Self-Published)


Tales of the Sun Eater Volume 3 is, by far, the strongest collection of short stories in The Sun Eater series so far.

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